I had reserved an SCAR with Hertz at YUL but the only thing they had available on a Friday afternoon was apparently a Jeep Compass and a Volkswagen Jetta. As I didn't want an SUV, I accepted the Jetta. The rep told me that this was a specialty ICAR and therefore did not discount my rate. I did not bother to argue as the rate difference was only about $2 on a daily base rate of $20. Jettas seem to be the most common ICAR at Montreal airport. The VW Jetta was a 2014 model purchased in June and had 10,750km on the clock.



Strangely, they gave me 2 car keys.



The Car
The Jettas that Hertz has seem to be a unique variant. They seem to be based on the 2.0L Trendline+ trim (S in the USA) with the key difference being that a touchscreen audio system replaces the standard plain CD player/radio combination. As well, the car comes with a rearview camera which is usually only found as an option on the higher Jetta trims. The car comes with cloth seats and no sunroof. The car should have an MSRP of roughly US$18,500.

Physical Characteristics
The size of the car is adequate and seems to be better than the majority of the other ICAR options. What surprised me the most was the large amount of trunk space available.



The size of the fuel tank is about average or just above that at 55l (14.5 gallons). There is no button for the fuel door within the car and it is opened by pressing on it while the car is unlocked, which seems to be very popular among German cars.

Technology
The touchscreen audio system is only functional. Audio is decent although the bass is too weak even with equalizer adjustments. The car comes with Sirius satellite radio and can apparently read SD cards as well. Unfortunately, there is no USB input and only 1 car charger socket is available. Hertz skimped on the connectivity option and pressing the "phone" button on the touchscreen system therefore only mutes audio. Two really annoying designs were the side mirror adjuster and the cruise control buttons. The cruise control buttons were placed on the turn signal switch and diverted an unreasonable amount of attention when selecting between on/cancel/off.



Design
The Jetta probably looks the best out of all the ICARs usually available. In fact, the Jetta looks a lot like a poor man's Audi A4 (or A3 sedan) that has a bulkier and less sleek body style, which is not surprising as they are made by the same company.







Handling
The 115hp engine can be underpowered at times, but it does emit a very satisfying engine noise when accelerating. Overall, handling is good and visibility in the car is exceptional. As well, the braking and suspension are probably the best of any intermediate class car that I have driven. The inclusion of a shifter was also pleasantly surprising and made driving a bit more fun.



Fuel Economy
The Jetta's fuel economy was rather disappointing. Over 300km, I achieved average fuel consumption of 8.81l/100km or 26.7 MPG. This was a low figure considering that I was driving at a fuel-efficient 100km/h on the highway sections and as I was drafting truckers for a lot of the time. Given that I was stuck in heavy traffic for about an hour of the journey, you might be able to get closer to 30 MPG in ideal traffic conditions. These figures are much poorer than the officially-rated 34 MPG and does not compare well to the fuel economy figures for comparable cars such as the Corolla.

Pros

• Satisfying engine noise
• Rearview camera
• Shifter option
• Seat warmers
• Car design/exterior
• Braking, suspension, and handling

Cons

• No USB connection
• No Bluetooth connectivity
• Poor fuel economy
• Underpowered engine
• Cruise control design

Final Verdict
If it were not for the poor fuel economy and lack of USB port, the Jetta would be my hand's down favourite ICAR. However, it is a great choice if handling and space are concerns. In any case, you might not even have a choice if you rent from the YUL location as they always seem to have 4-5 Jettas waiting in stalls.